Bush gets national security brief straight from CIA Director

WASHINGTON - While his predecessor generally received his daily national security briefing in writing, President Bush gets his in person - often directly from a man who seems eager to keep his job, holdover CIA Director George Tenet.

As Bush ponders the future of the high-ranking Clinton appointee, he must also decide whether the Central Intelligence Agency should play a role openly in any new U.S. peace initiative in the Middle East.

Tenet stepped out of the customary CIA shadow to play a visible role in the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, serving as an intermediary between the two militaries on security issues right up until last month.

But the peace talks have broken down, new violence has flared, and there is new leadership both in Israel and at the White House. Although Tenet is prepared to return to the Mideast, he has not been asked, officials say.

He is the highest-ranking official appointed by former President Clinton still on the job, other than those such as FBI Director Louis Freeh who have set terms which have yet to expire.

Clinton preferred to receive his daily morning intelligence updates in writing and from his national security adviser, Sandy Berger. The CIA's contact with Clinton was largely through Berger and other White House National Security Council staff members.

But Bush, whose father was once director of central intelligence, has insisted on getting them in person. And Tenet has been showing up at the White House himself to go over the world's hot spots, administration officials say.